Traveling in the Philippines

Philippines is not a very well traveled country but is well worth it. It has anything from coral islands to mountain jungles. There are many endemic animal species and different indigenous cultures. It’s also generally a safe and healthy place to travel. The only thing that keeps it out of travelers’ maps is its remoteness.


Logistically, Philippines is not a very easy place to travel. First, it is not near anywhere; it just sits by itself near the edge of the vast expanse of Pacific Ocean. It’s not on the way between any two locations unless you’re going from Australia to China. Then, it consists of 7.107 islands, spread out from north to south. There is a big national highway that runs all across but the roads are not always in good condition and neither are the busses. Trains are virtually nonexistent. To travel between distant islands one has two choices, the ferry and the airplane. Like Indonesia, Philippines also has many local airlines with cheap prices and some with old propeller planes. Ferries take more time and depending on the boat and the class you choose it can be either very comfortable or not comfortable at all. I took Superferry once for 13 hours on “tourist” class (second cheapest of the four classes) and it was a big AC hall with about a hundred double deck beds and was very comfortable. You can even travel very cheap by cargo boats if you have the time and the guts.

The good thing about traveling in the Philippines is that you can speak English to anyone and they will understand you. This makes traveling more hassle-free and also sometimes leads to forgetting that it’s still Asia where the bus arriving “just now” may in fact come an hour later.

The prices for transportation are similar to other SE Asian countries (such as a 6 hr bus ride for about $10) but the visa is the most expensive I’ve seen. You get a 3 weeks free on entry which is extendible up to two years without leaving the country. But each 2 months extension costs about $70-80 (different charges apply each time), which makes it around $250 for 6 months which is simply unheard of. On the other hand, Philippines being the only country in SE Asia which doesn’t have any land borders, it may be seen as a blessing that they extend it here, rather than forcing you to fly somewhere after two months, like they do in Indonesia. That would surely be less nice and more expensive. This also explains why and how there are more expats here then there.

Since it’s way out of the way to anywhere, there are not many foreign travelers in the Philippines. The foreigners are either expats who are settled here, students (mostly Korean) or missionaries. So in touristic places the accommodation and services are adjusted for Filipino tourists. And they travel in groups, sometimes big groups. So what you find are rooms good for 6 or good for 10 or 15. Sometimes it is hard to find a double room and single rooms are nonexistent although sometimes there are dormitories. So when it comes to renting a room it makes it so much cheaper to share it with a group, and more expensive if you’re just a couple. I have stayed in a room good for 8 just by myself but the owner was kind enough to let me pay for one. And it is close to impossible to guess from the name what kind of accommodation is waiting for you. A resort can be a hostel, an inn can be a guesthouse and cottages can be a hotel. Transient usually is a place for groups which also has kitchen, cable TV and other furnishing. Homestay or pension is usually the cheapest but has less privacy. And prices for a similar room in different places can change dramatically with no objective reason.

On planning a trip to the Philippines, one must be careful with the seasons. With around 30 typhoons hitting the country every year, typhoon season, June to November can sometimes be unpleasant. Roads can be closed due to flooding or landslides and the mountains can be too cold and wet. Ferries and planes also may become unreliable. But of course this is also the discount season while Christmas and Easter times are the high seasons when it may even be hard to find bus tickets or rooms.

But apart from all these practical aspects, Philippines is a very pleasant place to travel. People are just great, they are kind and when you are in need they will sort you out. If you ever get the chance, don’t say no to going there. You can hardly regret it.